a sad state of affairs…

so only a few weeks into this, 2 has becomes 1: Scott is out. This whole endeavor now becomes incredibly difficult, laboriously and financially, to do alone. I have to re-evaluate the entire idea now.

still interested? probably not, but if you are I still want to operate a mobile food facility. I still want to work for myself. And I still want to make whatever it is I do incredibly enjoyable for all of you.  So as soon as I get my ideas and direction in order I’ll let you all know.

thanks for the memories.

menu trials

So I’m looking for an Airstream. People love them, so they’re hard to find. More on that search in another post.

For now I wanted to give all the loyal followers an idea of the menu Scott and I are envisioning and what we have worked out.

First we want, nay…need to have the best hummus in Los Angeles, period. Our first trial went pretty well. We have some interesting and uncommon, yet traditional, ingredients in it that will really balance the nutty, garlicky flavor.

We want shawarma…chicken and beef, and with this we will make the best goddamned sandwich you’ll ever have: shawarma, fried eggplant, hummus, toum (garlic sauce ala Zankou), seasonal crunchy salad, grilled onions, pickled turnips, all wrapped in something more flavorful than a pita (naan, perhaps).

don't be dubious

We also want kebabs, again chicken and beef…we’ll make sandwiches with these too, as well as plates with the much of the same ingredients of the sandwich, simply deconstructed. We’ll also have salads, seasonal, with the proteins, that vary with what’s fresh in the farmers’ markets, still maintaining a middle-eastern background.

As for drinks, well a good beverage is just as necessary as the food to a great meal. We got some things brewing, but to give an idea, middle-eastern lemonade (Lebonade?), rosewater rickys, artisinal sodas, incredible teas and coffees, etc. You’ll be quenched and happy.

We also made Harissa recently and its the hottest thing I’ve ever enjoyed. Earthy and intense, it’s something heat lovers will…love.

And on a side note, yesterday I went to Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in LA (for a comprehensive review of the meal check out Maintaining Joe de Vivre, my girlfriend’s blog). It was pretty incredible and it really reignited my interest in molecular gastronomy and fusion (things Scott loves too) so who knows what we’ll turn out as daily specials….Labneh skewers wrapped in anise-flavored cotton candy anyone?

(Oh and we’re going to have fries that will blow your mind…)

((Oh and we’re going to make ice cream that will make you cry…)

(((Oh and by the time you eat our falafel, and your mind has already been blown and you have tears running down your cheeks, you’ll pretty much just die…)

So if you have any menu comments, suggestions, ideas ANYTHING let us know

100 views, worthy of another post

Amazingly 100 people (not including Scott or myself) have viewed this blog, and just after 1 post! Y’all really care. So on that note, here’s an update of sorts:

Not much has happened, per se, in the last few days, but decisions have been made, the most notable being that….drumroll…our food “truck” is going to be an AIRSTREAM trailer! Partnostaglia, part sex, and wholly (hopefully) affordable, the AIRSTREAM is going to be the initial thing that sets us apart. I’m really excited about this–we both love the iconic design, the fact that they are made in the U.S.A. and that they are from a Los Angeles-based company. Just check these things out, here are some from a German company that customizes them for similar use…

Sadly, though, I need more power to tow one of these things so my silver stallion, the ’99 Infiniti I30 will have to be sold in order to buy a new truck with enough towing power. But what’s a car in the face of passion? Nothing.

Everyday we’re getting closer. Now, we’re on the hunt for the perfect AIRSTREAM.

the beginning of a new life

Long ago, in a desertuous place known popularly as “The Valley,” a young boy and his family ran a hawaiian shave ice cart. Weekend after weekend, the boy would come home–shirt stained with all colors of the rainbow, forearms and face burnt from a long hot afternoon, and he would curse the day his dad and aunt came up with such a ridiculous idea. He would look in the mirror and say, “I’m a carny.” When the business eventually shut down, the boy was happy and sad–happy because he didn’t want to spend his life syruping ice and waiting on assholes, but sad because as much as he thought he hated the lifestyle, in all actuality it was the most fun he’d ever have. But still, he swore to never do anything like it again.

Fast forward ten years and the boy is now a college graduate, from a pretty good university too, and what does he decide to do with his education? With his experience? Start a food truck of course.

My name is Jonathan Newman, I am twenty-two years old, born and raised in Los Angeles and in the next few months my friend Scott (also recently graduated from same university) and I will open a middle-eastern food truck.

This blog is here to entertain your mind and eventually your taste-buds, to track our progress on the road to regret, and to allow more interaction with our eventual customers (which hopefully will result in a better truck, a better product, and, really, a better you).

So stay tuned, as lazy and procrastinating as we both are, you won’t be disappointed.

how can we fail?